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Google PageRank: A Strange Case Of Hyves

This is one the most bizarre things I’ve seen come down the pike in a long time. Let’s see if you agree:

According to this post on Mediadonis, you can check if Google has penalized a domain or not by simply adding the word hyves as a subdomain and then checking the PageRank of that subdomain. Use my two primary blogs as examples:

According to the post, using “hyves” as a subdomain will produce one of three results:

PR7 means that the domain is perfectly fine
PR4 means that the domain got penalized by Google
PR0 means that the domain got banned in Google

So, the fact that my two domains show up as PR7 when “hyves” is added as a subdomain means they’re not penalized. In all the domains I’ve checked, this works. But at least one comment on the original post, and one in the discussion on our sister site, Sphinn, says it doesn’t always work as described.

What’s your experience? Does it hold true for domains you’re aware of that have been penalized by Google?

About The Author

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.